This application relates to a power assisted cart for mobile medical diagnotic equipment and, more particularly, to a force responsive handle assembly and control system for sensing direction and magnitude of force applied to the handle and controlling motion of the cart accordingly.
It is common in medical facilities to have portable diagnostic equipment for patients who are unable to be moved. One typical type of portable equipment is a medical x-ray machine. These machines are mounted on power assisted carts, i.e., carts which are motor driven. Control of such carts is generally by an operator who stands to the rear of the cart and controls the direction of motion of the cart by positioning a switch for either forward or reverse movement. The velocity of motion is controlled by a separate lever which is operated while steering the cart. Turning the cart is not power assisted and thus requires tremendous effort since such carts may weigh as much as 1,000 pounds. Additionally, moving the cart requires an inordinate amount of skill and practice to coordinate manual steering efforts with forward/reverse switching action and simultaneous speed control.
A disadvantage of such prior cart systems is that an operator's reaction to correct the direction of travel of the powered cart is to apply additional force to the cart handle to effect a correction. However, the correction can only be effectively done by changing the position of the lever or switch type controls on the cart. Thus, it would be desireable to have a control arrangement such that the massive, heavy medical equipment cart would respond to a force on the handle in the same manner as, for example, a shopping cart.
A more specific disadvantage of prior art medical equipment carts is the relative difficulty of quickly stopping such carts in an emergency situation, such as, for example, if an operator were to inadvertently be trapped between the cart and an immoveable object. The tendency in such situations is to resist the encroaching cart by pushing on the handle. Accordingly, it would be desireable to provide a cart control arrangement responsive to force on the handle to both stop and reverse direction of a cart.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile power assisted equipment cart which is easily moved and stopped by manual effort.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile power assisted equipment cart which is easily steered and turned by manual effort on a handle.